Feb. 4, 2004
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Utah State head football coach Mick Dennehy believed he needed to fill holes at the running back position and signed five backs that could all compete for the position vacated by the graduated David Fiefia on the first day student-athletes could sign national letters of intent on Wednesday.
Of the 24 scholarships handed out in Logan, 16 went to offensive players. The Aggies signed one major college transfer, 12 junior college transfers and 11 high school players, including six from the state of Utah.
Among the players signed were the national Junior College Offensive Player of the Year in Emmanuel Marc and Los Angeles City Player of the Year James Lewis. Marc, a transfer from Hudson Valley (New York) Community College, led the country in rushing last year at 197.0 yards per game, while Lewis caught 63 passes for 1,352 yards and 16 touchdowns as a wide receiver.
The Aggies signed six in-state players, including first-team all-state running back Beau Herbert from Brigham City and first-team all-state wide receiver Mark Watterson from Mountain Crest. USU also inked second-team all-state selections Otis Nelson from Hunter High School and Phil Poloa from Jordan High School as well as Tanner Cooley from Sky View High School and Justin Soi from Timpview High School.
In addition to Marc, Herbert, who rushed for 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns in just nine games last year, and Poloa, who was all-state as a running back as a junior when he rushed for 1,600 yards, the Aggies signed running back Marcus Crawford from College of the Canyons and Chris Forbes from Norland High School in Miami, Fla.
Crawford rushed for 744 yards and 12 touchdowns on 109 carries last season, while Forbes was ranked among the top 45 recruits in the country by at least one publication before suffering a shoulder injury.
All five backs are good size as Crawford is 6-1, 208, Forbes, 5-11, 185, Herbert 6-3, 215, Marc 5-10, 185, and Poloa 6-0, 185 .
"Emmanuel Marc, we are very excited about him," Dennehy said. "He brings us a dynamic running style and a great ability to run the ball and catch the ball. I think he is a heck of a football player. Marcus Crawford gives us a little bigger, more physical, different style, downhill kind of a guy that compliments these guys.
"Everytime I see Beau Herbert play on film I like him more and more," Dennehy added. "He is a big physical running back that has some elusiveness and the speed to out-run you. Phil Poloa, who as a junior we felt was the best running back we had in our camp this year. We had a couple kids from Las Vegas (in camp) that were being recruited by Nebraska and Miami and we felt that Poloa was a better player than those kids were.
"We feel really fortunate that we were able to come in late on Chris Forbes," he said. "Schools like Florida, Miami, Iowa and Oklahoma at one point in time were paying a lot of attention to Chris. He is a tremendous athlete."
Dennehy also noted the offensive linemen, who he believes will step in and contribute right away. The Aggies signed Brent Deladurantey from Cerritos Junior College and Justin Schlimgen of Moorpark Junior College.
USU also added a number of wide receivers, noting that Lewis was the L.A. player of the year and that Rod McNeal from Compton Junior College is "probably the fastest receiver we have ever had here." Lawrence Lovelace is very smooth and very athletic according to Dennehy.
"We had some glaring needs that we needed to address and I think we got them addressed," Dennehy said about the recruiting class. "We went a little bit more towards the junior college player than we normally do. We generally take a harder look at the high school kids and fill in with J.C. kids, but for a couple of reasons we went a little bit deeper into the junior colleges. One of the reasons is that I felt that as bad as our record was a year ago, we were a lot better team, a couple of players away, and that we needed to find some guys that are a little bit older and a little bit more ready to play than true freshmen. Thinking two years down the road with some of the places we are going to have to play in the WAC, I felt like I would rather go into those conference games in 2005 with a veteran team, with a team that was a little bit older, than a bunch of second year players."
2004 Utah State Football Signees (Feb. 4 - Final List)
Name Pos. Ht Wt. Exp. Hometown (High School/Last School)D.J. Brookter* LB 6-1 241 JC Fresno, Calif. (Bullard HS/Fresno JC)Jarrett Bush DB 6-1 190 JC Vacaville, Calif. (Will C. Wood HS/American River JC)Tanner Cooley TE 6-2 225 HS Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS)Marcus Crawford RB 6-1 208 JC Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park HS/College of the Canyons)Brent Deladurantey* OL 6-3 315 JC Whittier, Calif. (La Serna HS/Cerritos JC)Chris Forbes Ath. 5-11 185 HS Miami, Fla. (Norland HS)Beau Herbert RB 6-3 215 HS Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS)Bevan Howard LB 6-1 230 HS Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro HS)Kevin Jones DB 5-10 175 JC Covington, Wash. (Kentwood HS/College of the Canyons)Michael Jones DL 6-2 310 HS Houston, Texas (Chavez HS)James Lewis WR 6-0 185 HS Venice, Calif. (Venice HS)Lawrence Lovelace* WR 5-11 170 JC Fontana, Calif. (A,B, Miller HS/Chaffey JC)Emmanuel Marc RB 5-10 185 JC Spring Valley, N.Y. (Spring Valley HS/Hudson Valley JC)Rod McNeal WR 5-8 185 JC Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson HS/Compton JC)Leslie Mongo* DB 6-0 186 JC Ramsey, N.J. (Ramsey HS/Santa Rosa JC)Otis Nelson Ath. 6-3 205 HS Salt Lake City, Utah (Hunter HS)Cole Nielson QB 6-0 180 HS Pocatello, Idaho (Highland HS)Phil Poloa RB 6-0 185 HS Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS)Terrell Richards WR 6-0 205 TR Salt Lake City, Utah (Hunter HS/Oregon)Justin Schlimgen* OL 6-2 305 JC Camarillo, Calif. (Camarillo HS/Moorpark JC)Brian Soi DT 6-4 290 HS Provo, Utah (TImpview HS/Hargrave Military Academy)Justin Soi TE 6-4 240 HS Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)Sione Tavake FB 5-11 270 JC Woodside, Calif. (Woodside HS/San Mateo JC)Mark Watterson WR 6-0 165 HS Hyrum, Utah (Mountain Crest HS)Ryan Wilson* TE 6-3 243 JC Rio Linda, Calif. (Rio Linda HS/American River JC)
* - Signed in December, 2003
NOTE: Signee breakdown on final page after individual biographies
Pronunciation Guide
Brent Deladurantey Dela-dur-aun-tay
Bevan Howard rhymes with evan
Justin Schlimgen Shlim-gin (ryhmes with bin)
Sione Tavake See-o-nay Tah-vay-kay
2004 Utah State Football Signee Bios
D.J. Brookter 6-1, 241, LB, JC, Fresno, Calif. (Bullard HS/Fresno JC)
Returns to Utah State where he played as a true freshman in 2001... Recorded nine tackles in eight games at USU.. Redshirted here in 2002 before leaving the team for personal reasons... Played in 2003 at Fresno Community College where he started all 11 games at linebacker and recorded 64 tackles, five passes broken up and forced four fumbles... In high school he was a first-team all-league selection and second-team all-valley pick... Had 68 tackles and five sacks as a prep senior... As a junior had had 35 tackles and five interceptions... Played wide receiver as a sophomore and caught 20 passes for 600 yards and 10 touchdowns... Was the MVP of his basketball team as a junior... Born Jan. 17, 1983 in Fresno, Calif.... Son of John Brookter.
Jarrett Bush 6-1, 190, DB, JC, Vacaville, Calif. (Will C. Wood HS/American River JC)
Earned all-league honors as a cornerback and a return man as a sophomore... Was also all-state and all-region as a sophomore... Was an all-league wide receiver and return man as a freshman... Had four interceptions as a sophomore, while also averaging 27 yards on 17 kickoff returns... Also competed in track in junior college and was the NorCal 400-hurdles champion, while finishing fifth in the 110-meter hurdles... Played three years at Will C. Wood High School... Was all-league and all-county as a wide receiver and defensive back... Also wrestled and competed in track, where he was a two-time section champion in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles... Was fifth in the state in the 110-meter hurdles... Born May 21, 1984... Son of Harvey Bush and Irene Wellington... Has one brother and one sister... Plans to major in sociology or communications... Would like to work with athletes as a sports psychologist after graduation... Hobbies include snow boarding and playing basketball... Brother plays college volleyball.
Tanner Cooley 6-2, 225, TE, HS, Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS)
A two-time honorable mention all-state selection while earning all-region and all-valley honors as a prep... Played tight end and defensive end... Recorded 20 receptions for six touchdowns as a senior... Defensively he had 41 tackles and one fumble recovery... Also wrestled and was sixth in the state as a sophomore before missing the meet his junior year due to injury... Also lettered in baseball... Born Nov. 24, 1985 in Powell, Wyo... Son of Nancy Cooley and Ken Cooley... Brother Chris finished his USU career this past season earning first-team all-Sun Belt Conference and honorable mention All-America honors... Plans to major in exercise science or physical therapy... Hobbies include being outdoors, fishing and spending time with friends... Serves as president of the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) at Sky View and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Marcus Crawford 6-1, 208, RB, JC, Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park HS/College of the Canyons)
A first-team all-conference selection at College of the Canyons as a sophomore... Played at Ventura Junior College in 2002 and was a first-team all-conference selection as well... Also earned offensive team MVP honors... Rushed for 744 yards and 12 touchdowns on 109 carries last season... Participated in spring football at UNLV in 2002... Was a two-time team MVP at Newbury Park High School... Also earned all-league and all-county honors as a running back... Played linebacker as well, while also running track... Was an all-CIF honoree in track and holds his school record in the 100 meters... Born Nov. 5, 1982 in Thousand Oaks, Calif... Son of Mike and Cassandra Crawford... Plans to major in business and would like to start his own business... Hobbies include reading, working out and working on his business (energy deregulation)... Has three sisters and one brother... Comes from an athletic family as his dad was a linebacker at San Diego State, uncle Curtis Rowe played basketball at UCLA and for the Detroit Pistons and uncle Willie Crawford played baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brent Deladurantey* 6-3, 315, OL, JC, Whittier, Calif. (La Serna HS/Cerritos JC)
Signed in December of 2003... Last name is pronounced Dela-dur-aun-tay... Played just one season at Cerritos and will have three years at USU... Started all 11 games this past season... Was high school team's lineman of the year as a junior... Earned his team's Hammer Award for most pancake blocks... Also lettered three years in basketball... Born Oct. 29, 1983 in Orange, Calif... Son of Michael and Vickee Deladurantey.
Chris Forbes 5-11, 185, Athlete, HS, Miami, Fla. (Norland HS)
Ranked as the 45th best recruit in the country by TheInsidersRecruiting.com... Also listed as the 11th top recruit in Miami, Fla... Played cornerback in high school... Suffered a shoulder injury, which scared some programs away... Has 4.5 speed.
Beau Herbert 6-3, 215, RB, HS, Brigham City, Utah (Box Elder HS)
A first-team all-state running back as both a junior and a senior... As a senior he rushed for 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns in nine games... Also returned kickoffs and played a little safety... Lettered three years... Also competed in track and won the state 100, 200 and was a member of the state 4x100 championship team as a junior... Placed fourth in the state in the long jump as well... Born Sept. 7, 1985 in Brigham City, Utah... Son of Chad and Tina Herbert... Has three sisters... Plans to major in business... Hobbies include snowboarding and weightlifting.
Bevan Howard 6-1, 230, LB, HS, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro HS)
First names rhymes with Evan... An all-region selection as a senior... Recorded 95 tackles and 12 sacks his senior season... Lettered four years playing linebacker and running back... Born Nov. 25, 1985 in Salt Lake City, Utah... Son of Phillip M. Howard, Jr. and Trude LaPrade Latino... Has two brothers, including Loren Howard, who was the Big 10 Freshman of the Year at Northwestern in 2002 and Phillip, who played defensive end at Arizona State... Grandfather was an All-American at Stanford... Plans to major in finance with a minor in computer information systems... Hobbies include lifting weights and raising ferretts.
Kevin Jones 5-10, 175, DB, JC, Covington, Wash. (Kentwood HS/College of the Canyons)
An honorable mention all-conference selection at College of the Canyons as a sophomore... Played at College of Siskiyous in California as a freshman... Recorded two interceptions as a freshman and three as a sophomore... Had 19 tackles as a sophomore... Graduated from Kentwood High School in Covington, Wash. in 2002... Lettered three years as a cornerback, tailback and wide receiver... Was all-state as a senior as a running back and cornerback... Rushed for 2,015 yards, while also recording six interceptions... Team won the state championship... As a junior he was a second-team all-state selection as a wide receiver... Born Marc 5, 1984 in Seattle, Wash... Son of John and Debbie Jones... Has one brother, John, who played at Eastern Washington... Plans to major in social science... Hobbies include spending time with family, playing video games and working out... Has an uncle who played at Hawaii and in the NFL.
Michael Jones 6-2, 310, DL, HS, Houston, Texas (Chavez HS)
Broke his ankle after the third game of the season and missed the rest of his senior year... Had orally committed to Arizona before his senior season... Played his junior year at Sam Rayburn High School before transferring... Would like to major in business... Parents are Michael Moore and Keshia Moore.
James Lewis 6-0, 185, WR, HS, Venice, Calif. (Venice HS)
Named the Los Angeles City Player of the Year by both the coaches and the writers... Was the league player of the year as well as first-team all-state by Student Sports Magazine... Caught 63 balls for 1,352 yards and 16 touchdowns... Scored 22 touchdowns on the year with four punt returns for scores and two rushing touchdowns... Team was 13-1 and ranked first in the L.A. city section... Played a little defensive back and recorded three interceptions.
Lawrence Lovelace* 5-11, 170, WR, JC, Fontana, Calif. (A.B. Miller HS/Chaffey JC)
Signed in December of 2003... A two-year starter... Caught 30 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore... Team played in two bowl games in his career there... In high school he was a first-team all-league selection as well as his team's offensive MVP as a senior... Cousin Nick Barnett played at Oregon State and was a first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2003.
Emmanuel Marc 5-10, 185, RB, JC, Spring Valley, N.Y. (Spring Valley HS/Hudson Valley CC)
The NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Offensive Player of the Year... Was a first-team NJCAA and JC-Gridwire All-America selection... A two-time first-team all-conference selection as well as the offensive player of the game at the Graphic Edge Bowl... Led the country in rushing with 197.0 yards per game... In his two-year career he rushed for 3,273 yards and 30 touchdowns on 490 carries... Also produced 15 100-yard games, including seven 200-yard games... Rushed for 1,000 yards in both his junior college seasons... Rushed for a school record 335 yards against Alfred State last year... Was a two-time all-state selection at Spring Valley High School... Rushed for 1,566 yards as a junior and 1,252 yards as a senior... Also played safety and linebacker... Born Nov. 17, 1982 in Spring Valley, N.Y. Son of Jeanne Julien... Has one brother and two sisters... Would like to major in computer technology... Hobbies include drawing and playing video games... Has a cousin who played football at Auburn.
Rod McNeal 5-8, 185, Jr., WR, Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson HS/Compton JC)
A first-team all-league selection as a sophomore as well as a preseason All-American... Was a second-team all-league selection as a freshman... Competing in track at Compton as well... Was a second-team all-state selection at Lake Gibson High School, where current USU assistant coach Brian Armstrong was an assistant coach... Earned all-county and all-district honors as well.
Leslie Mongo* 6-0, 186, DB, JC, Ramsey, N.J. (Ramsey HS/Santa Rosa JC)
Earned honorable mention all-Mid Empire Conference honors as he recorded 40 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two interceptions and two blocked field goals as a sophomore... A two-time high school all-conference selection... Brother of Tyrone Wheatley, who is a tailback for the Oakland Raiders.
Otis Nelson 6-3, 205, Athlete, HS, Salt Lake City, Utah (Hunter HS)
A second-team all-state selection as a tight end this year... Also earned first-team all-state basketball honors as a junior... Recorded 42 receptions for 700 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior... Born April 6, 1986 in Salt Lake City, Utah... Son of Lynn Wallin and Orlando Nelson... Has one sister... Father played football at Utah State in 1973... Plans to major in sports medicine... Hobbies include playing basketball and riding four-wheelers... On the national honor roll in high school as well as in Who's Who in America.
Cole Nielson 6-0, 180, QB, HS, Pocatello, Idaho (Highland HS)
The Idaho high school player of the year in each of the last two seasons... Also earned Gatorade player of the year honors in the state as well... A two-time all-state selection... Was the Old Spice Scholar-Athlete of the year in the state as well... Threw for 3,282 yards and 37 touchdowns, while completing 59.9 percent of his attempts as a senior... Compiled 6,480 yards and 69 touchdowns in his prep career... Best passing game was for 452 yards... Team won state title his junior year and finished second in his senior campaign... Also played basketball and tennis and was fourth in the state in tennis... Born Sept. 10, 1985 in Pocatello, Idaho... Son of Gordon and Sally Nielson... Has three brothers and one sister... Undecided on his major at USU... Will go on an LDS Church Mission before enrolling at USU... Hobbies include skiing, snow boarding, wake boarding, sports and spending time with his family.
Phil Poloa 6-0, 185, RB, HS, Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS)
A second-team all-state selection as a defensive back as a senior... Earned all-state honors as a running back his junior season... Rushed for 1,600 yards as a junior... Also played basketball... Born Sept. 26, 1985 in Murray, Utah... Son of Tupule and Miriama Poloa... has two brothers and two sisters... Undecided on his major at USU... Likes to watch movies.
Terrell Richards 6-0, 205, TR, WR, Salt Lake City, Utah (Hunter HS/Oregon)
Transferred from Oregon to Utah State last year and is already on campus.
Justin Schlimgen* 6-2, 305, OL, JC, Camarillo, Calif. (Camarillo HS/Moorpark JC)
Last name is pronounced Shlim-gin (rhymes with bin)... A first-team all-conference selection on the offensive line as a sophomore after earning second-team all-league honors as a defensive lineman his freshman year... Team won the conference title... Was a two-time all-league and all-county lineman in high school... Born August 2, 1982 in Adack, Alaska... Son of David and Mickie Schlimgen... Has one brother and one sister... Is married and he and his wife Sarah have one son (Colton)... Plans to major in physical education... Likes to spend time with his family and friends as well as working with his dad as an electrician.
Brian Soi 6-4, 290, DT, HS, Provo, Utah (Timpview HS/Hargrave Military)
A two-time all-state selection at Timpview where he graduated in 2003... Spent the 2003 season at Hargrave Military Academy after originally signing with Brigham Young out of high school... In high school he was named to Student Sports, Inc. and Prep Star All-America teams... Was ranked as the second-best defensive tackle prospect in the nation by SuperPrep Magazine... SuperPrep Midlands Defensive Player of the Year... Earned all-region honors three times... Named valley player of the year in 2002... Recorded 11 sacks as a senior after getting 15 as a junior... Also wrestled in high school... Born May 3, 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii... Son of Motu and Pona Soi... Has two brothers and one sister... Brother Justin signed with USU as well this year... Undecided on his major at USU... Hobbies include eating, basketball and spending time with friends.
Justin Soi 6-4, 240, TE, HS, Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
A second-team all-region selection... Ranked as the nation's 44th-best tight end by Prep Star Magazine... Played defensive end as well and had seven sacks as a senior... Born Sept. 17, 1986 in Honolulu, Hawaii... Son of Motu and Pona Soi... Has two brothers and one sister... Brother Brian is enrolled at Utah State and will play this upcoming season... Hobbies include singing and playing basketball.
Sione Tavake 5-11, 270, FB, JC, Woodside, Calif. (Woodside HS/San Mateo JC)
Name is pronounced See-o-nay Tah-vah-Kay... Was an honorable mention All-American as a sophomore... A first-team all-conference selection as a running back as well... Rushed 149 times for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns to average 5.9 yards per carry... Also added 147 receiving yards... Scored 17 touchdowns on the year and his 102 points were sixth in the state of California... Son of Filimone and Debbie Tavake... Married and his wife's name is Mary.
Mark Watterson 6-0, 165, WR, HS, Hyrum, Utah (Mountain Crest HS)
A first-team all-state selection by the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News despite playing on a 1-9 team... Was an all-valley selection as a senior as he caught 54 passes for 820 yards and three touchdowns as a senior... Had 99 receptions in his career... Also plays basketball for the Mustangs.
Ryan Wilson 6-3, 243, TE, JC, Rio Linda, Calif. (Rio Linda HS/American River JC)
A first-team all-conference selection as well as an all-Northern California region team honoree as a sophomore... Caught 19 passes for 152 yards on the year... In high school he was an all-conference selection and earned his team's hustle award as a junior... Son of Randy and Ronnette Wilson.
Signee Breakdown
By StateCalifornia 9Utah 7Florida 2Arizona 1Idaho 1New Jersey 1New York 1Texas 1Washington 1
By ExperienceMajor College Transfer 1Junior College 12High School 11
By Position Total HS JC TRQuarterback 1 1 0Running Back 5 2 3Wide Receiver 5 2 2 1Tight End 3 2 1Offensive Line 2 0 2Offense Total 16 7 8 1
Total HS JCDefensive Line 1 1 0Linebacker 2 1 1Defensive Back 3 0 3Defensive Total 6 2 4
Total HS JCAthlete 2 2 0Total 2 2 0
